Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Smartphones Are a Modern Necessity, So Budget for Them Accordingly

For the longest time, I considered smartphones as just toys of sorts, but I’ve finally seen the light. They’re a necessity, just like your car, home internet, or any other expense—and you should budget for upgrades accordingly.

Your Smartphone Isn’t a Toy, Even Though You Play On It

You probably play games on your smartphone and use it to browse social media or watch YouTube videos, but those are really just secondary features. Think about all the tasks that you perform on your phone that are actually kind of important.

You use it to call and text family and friends to stay in touch. You use the camera to take pictures of your kids or pets to have lasting memories. You may even use your phone partially for work purposes—and no matter how you might feel about your phone potentially keeping you connected to the office, it’s a really useful tool.

Depending on how you use your phone, it might possibly be one of your most important possessions, so it’s time to start actually seeing it as such.

You Need to Budget for Smartphone Upgrades

I try to live a frugal life (and sometimes fail miserably at it), but I have a monthly budget, and in that budget I assign a certain percentage of my paycheck only toward things that I absolutely need to pay for, either regularly (mortgage, bills, subscriptions, etc.) or at some point in the future (car repairs, home improvements, etc.).